Sam-

Waking up to a belly rub was quite nice. I felt Richard's fingers move along my stomach, sifting through my soft fur. When my eyes finally inched their way open I saw Richard grinning down at me from my right side.

"Hey there, sleepyhead. Change in the middle of the night for some morning belly rubs?"

I usually don't accidentally shift when I sleep unless I have a stressful dream. I thought back to him awkwardly as I rolled over and sat up. When I tried to shift and felt an abrupt block in my mind, holding back my human side, I fidgeted.

Richard, I can't shift back.

His relaxed face quickly turned to one of worry as he sat himself up and reached over, gently taking my face in his hands and tilting it up so that he could look at me closer.

"Are you sure? Maybe it has something to do with that surgery? Maybe you needed to stay in your canine form longer for it to heal properly?"

I paused, having not thought of that possibility. It made sense, but still, I was really nervous.

"How about this. I'll call the vet and just make sure that it's nothing? Just your dog needing some more time to heal."

After a moment of thought, I nodded and wagged my stumpy tail.

That sounds good. He should know after dealing with normal shapeshifters.

Richard smiled and pet my head before grabbing his phone from the nightstand and dialing the veterinarian. Thankfully the practice opened early, so the receptionist picked up, then quickly transferred him to the vet when the man had a minute to talk. I tried to listen in on the conversation but the doctor was talking a bit too quietly. When Richard finally hung up, his face was a bit paler.

What? What did he say? I asked, worried.

Richard swallowed and licked his lips before turning to look at me. His eyes hinted at what was wrong before he even spoke, but I didn't want to hear it.

"He said that because he had never operated on a cross-shifter, he just removed what he was familiar with in a female canine's anatomy to prevent pregnancy. He said... To get a pregnancy test if you had had sex recently, because there were parts he was unfamiliar with and couldn't remove safely."

I couldn't reply. I had just gotten fixed. Made a life, and body, altering decision, and yet I could still possibly be pregnant? With just a gentle pat to my head, Richard stood up and got himself dressed in a pair of sweats and a T-shirt.

"I'm going to go get a test. Waiting won't help the situation, though I can't see how that could be the reason for your inability to shift. Will you let Jess know that I'll be back soon if she wakes up?"

Yes, of course. I replied, trying to keep my nervousness from my thoughts. Thankfully he seemed to not realize it and smiled, then headed outside after tugging on his shoes and a coat by the door.

For the next twenty minutes I tried to tidy up the bed using my teeth to tug the blankets and adjust the pillows, then paced the hallway until I heard the front door open quietly, then shut. Richard stepped around the corner a moment later, gesturing for me to follow him to the backyard. It was chilly, but as he opened the test and set it in the snow, I realized that it made sense. I didn't want to accidentally pee all over the bathroom trying to hit where I needed to. This way I could just pee, then adjust myself if I needed to aim better.

It was evidently true that practice made perfect, however, since I easily hit the spot I needed to on my first try. With that done, I took a few steps away and finished relieving myself before following Richard back inside. He hurried to wash off the plastic part of the test, then scrub his hands before setting it down on a papertowel in the sink.

"Well, let's go get the kids up and in the bath? It's a little early, but that just gives us some extra time to relax before I have to go to work."

He paused for a moment, then looked down at me.

"And probably bring my shapeshifter friend."

I couldn't argue. If I was stuck as a dog, I wanted to be with Coda. I couldn't go to school and expect to do much note-taking or paying attention when everyone would likely be staring at me.

Great. All I need now is a visit from my parents so that they can see the pregnancy test.

Fuming, I followed after Richard as he went to the get the kids up. Once he was sure they were getting out of bed, and Coda was lifted out of his crib, he walked to the bathroom and got the bathwater started. I helped him corral the kids to the bathroom, then sat by the tub as he scrubbed each, then dried them both. Thankfully Coda had stayed human overnight, so he didn't take nearly as long to towel dry.

Another ten minutes passed as Richard got Coda dressed and made sure Jess wasn't putting something on that was completely mismatched or inappropriate for the cold weather. When we finally got back around to the kitchen I was fidgeting, but Richard refused to look at the test until the two kids were eating breakfast. The look on his face when he read it, though, told me enough.

It's over. They're going to get Coda and I'm going to have to drop out... again.

I sounded sad and frustrated in my thoughts, but I was frantic and extremely mad at myself on the inside. I couldn't have been a bit stronger and let the heat pass in time. No, I had to get my brains F'd out by Richard.

"Hey. Hey. Sammy, look at me." Richard said in a hushed tone as he knelt down in front of me. I didn't want to look at him. I was mad at him, though I had no right to be. I'd been the one to initiate last night.

"Let's take this one step at a time, okay? We need to think this through, then panic once we have a plan."

His slight jab at humor made my anger lower a little, allowing me to focus somewhat on his next words.

"First things first. I might be struggling with money, but I can take out a loan and have no issue paying it back over time. So don't think money is an issue when I ask you this, okay?"

I slowly nodded, already knowing what the first question was going to be.

"Do you want to keep the baby if it's safe for you to have?"

There was barely any hesitation as I nodded my head. I thought he might be upset, considering he really was strapped for money, and hell, time. Yet when he sighed and hugged me to his chest, I couldn't help but feel that I had done the right thing. I had already lost all but one from my previous litter, I couldn't just terminate this one.

"We will need to see how far they progress soon. The vet said that if you were pregnant, he'd do a free ultrasound for you. I think we should wait perhaps two weeks, then check? I know some shapeshifters have gestation periods in terms of humans, then another time they'll have them as their animal form. So I think we should check that."

Again, I nodded, my muzzle rubbing against his shirt.

"Okay. Next question. Would you like to take online high school classes? I can go talk to the principle and see if he would allow me to assist you, since we can communicate through our thoughts. It's a long shot when considering tests, but I think we could figure something out."

Math would be the hardest, not being able to work our problems, but I was willing to try. Anything to keep Coda... and my new baby. Or babies. I reminded myself nervously. Sensing my unease, Richard patted my back and stood.

"It's okay, Sammy. I need to go get dressed for work, be right back. Then we'll head out."

My stomach grumbled as he stepped out, but I was glad that he'd forgotten to make me something. I could have easily reminded him, but heck, my stomach was a nervous mess right now. There was no way I'd be able to eat anything without throwing it up. With a grunt, I sauntered over to Coda, who had finished his meal, and cleaned his face of the meat blend Richard had made for him. We played for a few short minutes before Richard returned, scooping up Coda.

"Let's get going, guys." He said, making his way to the door.

Before opening it, he got Coda into a little coat and handed Jess hers to put on. Once everyone was bundled up we headed out. I was already feeling a little better considering Richard was trying to take everything in stride. Sure I could feel the tension in him, but if he could keep his cool until we figured everything out, then I could to. With that decided, I hurried to hop into his car, then settle in for the short ride to his work.

I forgot about one thing. Richard's voice said in my mind several minutes later. I looked at the back of his head, my ears slightly raised. What?

We have to tell your parents.

I was suddenly very glad that I'd skipped breakfast. He was right, of course, but I didn't want to even consider telling them. They'd find out when I didn't shift, but still!

I know you don't want too, but it's obvious. Richard supplied, making me grunt.

It will be okay, I promise. I'll be here no matter what, and we'll raise our Boggies, or dears, together.

My expression deadpanned and he was soon laughing hysterically as he pulled into the parking lot of his work.

I know, I know. Both of those combinations sound terrible, but come on. There isn't much else we'd be able to call them.

I rolled my eyes and hurried to climb out of the car when he opened the door.

What about blogs? I thought, immediately regretting it as soon as I did though.

Richard looked at me with raised brows and I sauntered ahead of him a few steps. I refuse to get a Facebook or whatever people use to blog. We'll discuss what to call them later. Right now you need some serious play time with the kids. They'll love that. Richard added as we headed up to his office. I wasn't looking forward to spending every single day cooped up there, but if I focused on the negatives, they'd eat me up. Instead, I was going to enjoy getting to spend time with my son and Richard's daughter. Who knows, maybe it will all work out in our favor in the end.

Yeah. When boggies fly...